Discussion Board

I read somewhere that the reason most Americans need to supplement Omega 3's is because if you eat the SAD diet, it's a lot of Omega 6 and you need the Omega 3 to balance the Omega 6. Is that true? My cholesterol doc recommended fish oil or red yeast rice (which appears to be statin in a more natural state). I don't want to take any of them. I have chia, but haven't opened the bag yet. I also have flax seeds, but I don't seem to remember to use them. Should I work on this? How much should I eat to make a difference?

Do I need additional Omega 3's? Will they really help with my cholesterol numbers and health? My TC in September was 267, LDL was 200 and I started to eat more plant based. In October, TC was 228, LDL was 157 (and I was 10 lbs lighter!). The cholesterol doc wanted to put me on Lipitor, but he agreed to give me til April to see if I can get my numbers down, although he said he doubted I could get it much lower by diet alone -- I love a challenge!

Thoughts?

Thanks! Sharon

If you go up to the Hot Topics thread above, you will find several long discussions under the topic of fats, essential fats & omega 3s that will answer your questions

In health
Jeff

Thanks! I had looked at those (but not clicked on them), but didn't think this would be under the oils section (although it makes perfect sense!).

Sharon